Telephone-exchange system.



E. E. CLEMENT. TELEPHONE EXCHANGE SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 3, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented June 11, 1912 E. E. CLEMENT.

TELEPHONE EXCHANGE SYSTEM.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 3, 1905.

1,029,577, Patented June 11, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Invcmor Immune We M. (Wm

EDWARD E. CLEMENT, 0F WASHINGTGN, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

TELEPHONE-EXCHANGE SYSTEM.

Application filed March 3, 1905.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Serial No. 248,306.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EIMVARD E. CLEMENT, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone-Exchange Systems, of which the following is a specifica tion, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to electrical signaling systems, and particularly to such systems as are used in conjunction with or co1nbined directly in telephone exchange systems.

It has for its object the provision of means for giving a special indication to a telephone or other central oflice operator by means of which some calls or signals nar be differentiated from others and connections which require special or extra attention will receive preference in ordinary course of business and with the least possible delay due to the manipulation of apparatus.

Briefly stated my presentinvention com prises special connective circuits provided at the central otlice, or special connections for the ordinary connective circuits, and special transmitting means at the substations, whereby in case of fire or robbery or the like at the substation, the lamp on the switch board at central will flash in a characteristic manner, whereupon the operator will immediately plug the line to fire or police headquarters and the signal will there be received on a proper receiving apparatus such as a Morse register, giving the exact location of the house or building in which the trouble exists.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein-- Figure 1 is a diagram showing one sub station of a telephone system, equipped with common battery apparatus, and the central station, with such additional apparatus as serves for the practice of my invention; and Fig. 2 is a diagram of a modified form of substation apparatus and connections.

, Referring first to Fig. l, A is a subscribers station, equipped with the usual telephone transnitter T, receiver T, hook switch II, ringer Q, and condenser. From the substation line wires 1 and *2 pass to the centrahotliee, where they are connected to contacts of the cut-off relay L and thence under normal condition of use of the line,by

multiple, but any type of circuit is available, there being no special apparatus Whatever, and no special circuit, at central for the alarm attachment. The ordinary connection cord circuit and plugs I and P are used when the line. is to be connected with another for telephonic. conversation, and may be used for special alarms, although I prefer to employ for the latter a special cord, always available. In. the cord circuit the conductors 10-1 1113, pass from tip to tip and sleeve to sleeve, respectively, of the plugs P and P, being broken intermediate the plugs by condensers. To the answering end of the cord the control relay R and superv'isory relay R are connected, in branches l5 and 14 to battery. To the calling end similar relays R R are connected through branches 17--16 from battery. The first pair of relays controls the supervisory lamp 7' and the second the lamp 1".

All the construction thus far described is common and well known, and it is o of the salient objects of my invention to produce attaelnnents for alarm purposes which will not require any change in existing circuits and which will work on any telephone circuits in use. At the substation I provide such an alarm apparatus, S, consisting of a normall wound clock train, with a'break wheel 8 bearing on its periphery teeth arranged according to any desired code to represent the number of the house or OtllQI building wherein it is placed. Attached to this and governing the movement of the train is a detent wheel having teeth regalarly disposed around its eriphery. Adapted to take into and hol the detent wheel from turning, thereby detaining the ,train and the break wheel .3, is a tooth 8 on a pivoted lever a, controlled by a magnet m connected in a local circuit 5-(3 and energized by a battery I). When the lever s is pulled up by the magnet m it closes a short circuitaround the latter including the battery, so the magnet is self-locking, that is when the lever once releases the wheel th latter is free to rotate until it runs down, which may be after ten revolutions, or twenty, or any desired number, depending on the train and spring used.

Cooperating with the break wheel 8' is a normally separated pair of spring pens 's s, the former having a long end reach- Connected across the local circuit 56 I' have shown thermostats 7, and a push button-7c. The number of these devices may be multiplied indefinitely and their character varied at will. For the thermostats burglar circuit closers on doors or windows may be substituted, or all together may be used. At central, I preferably provide a special plug or pair of plugs on each position of the switchboard, connected to a line leading to fire headquarters, or more accurately to the switchboard in the operating room of the fire department. This line may be similar in all respects to a subscribers line, as I have shown it in part in Fig. 1.

In order to be sure of having a cord free in emergencies, and also for the reason that the cord employed is likely to be tied up for some time, as well as for reasons of efficiency, I usually prefer to provide at each position of the telephone switch board a special plug P and cord conductors 18-19. Telegraph circuits are series circuits, of necessity, and in this case, while I provide pervisory relays R and R as usual for thcord 18--19, they are in series, and not i1. battery branches.

The latter closes the circuit of the supervisory lamp 7 when it pulls up and the former when it is deenergized. dord strand 18 is connected through wire 20 to the bat-tery has 21, and the strand 19 to wire 22 which passes to the tire headquarters or operating room. \Vhere this wire 22 is to be used for conversational purposes I run a twin wire 31 back to central, there connecting the two, as previously stated, in the usual manner to line terminals, etc, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. There is,this difference, however, that the sleeve side of the fire department line is normally to battery instead of the tip side as shown of line 1 2. The reason for this is that the tip side, 22, is used for the relay n of the register and other receiving apparatus at the fire ofiice U. For the same reason the ground usually on the mate side of line, 22 in,this case, is put on through a contact of relay It". V /henthe fire-chief or other person at station U calls in, he plugs in and bridges the telephone set T so as to alarm circuit. Relay It is in the tip 5 side 19, and relay R is in the sleeve side.

av ilable for this circuit without change;

complete a circuit from ground at central through the wire 220 to the wire 22, back through wire'3l, to the line relay, and to battery. At the telephone central ofiice an operators listening key is provided as usual for the cord 18-19 to cut in when desired.

The operation of my improved system as thus far described is as follows: Subscriber A calls for telephone service, and is served,

in the usual and well understood way, which needs no description. Assuming his telephone apparatus to be in disuse, however, and an alarm of fire to be desired. He pulls the hook s, which releases the wheel 8 and by making the back contact at point 24 locks the lever back. Interrupter S then takes control of the line, and through contacts 8 8 sends rapid makes and breaks, which cause the line relay L toattract and release its armature and flash the lamp 1. The operator perceiving the character of the si nal at once drops her other work on hand long enough to stickplug P in jack J, whereupon the line 12 is prolonged to the tire station U, and as the wheel .9 continues to send makes and breaks the relay u at station U picks them up and works the register, M. It may also start a repeater, or in first coming in affect the 01'- dinary joker apparatus and circuits, at'- terward repeating on the gong circuits of its own district. All these matters relate to detail which will be at once apparent to those skilled in the fire-alarm art upon inspecting the invention. The circuit 22-3l can be treated from the telephone managers standpoint as a telephone subscribers line, while from the fire-alarm operators stand point it may be treated as a box loop or It is both. The present apparatus in use at fire-alarm central ofiices for both signaling and telegraphing is and the same may be said of the present apparatus at the central oflice of the telephone system. I have simply taken the two and combined them so as to make a cooperative and harmonious arrangement. The wheel, 8', rot; tcs rapidly when first started, but is then s'owcd down byany suitable mechanism. The fast sending is to flash the lamp Z, the slow sending is for the relay u, as registers and repeaters are usually not designed for anything but low speeds.

To get a complete message of four rounds is usually :the work of at least twenty seo j ends, and often thirty; this being fast enough for the systems wherein it takes nearly a minute under the most favorable conditions for the engines, etc., to get out for a run. It would be too slow to flash the lamp 6 however,in all probability. Thatis, the operator would get the first lighting of the lamp and would plug in before the break came. However this is a matter of detail and I leave its regulation to the designer to meet conditions in particular cases. The wheel 8' may run at a uniform speed without affecting the nature of the in' entiou. Upon plugging the number of the house-box pulled, the operator can, cut in her telephone across wires 18---l9 and if the box b has run down the line will then be available for conversation. If the sub- SSflbfil' pulled the box himself, the receiver can be taken down and the telephone used to communicate specific information to the telephone ofiice or fire authorities. In case.

the telephoneis taken down before the box S is run down, the latter would be shunted, of course, and while the signal might be perceptible to the car if a telephone were cut in on the line at fire-central, it would hardly affect the relay u. To guard against this, I may provide the box apparatus S with a cam or other device, as shown in Fig. 2, to cut off the telephone connection until the box has run off the predetermined number of rounds. This arrangement is not shown in Fig. 1 because there the apparatus, which is rudimentary, is supposed to run down before it steps. In Fig. 2, however, I have shown a higher development of the invention, wherein a definite sequence in operations is established and the line restored to usable, condition after them.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the substation and central station are telephonically the same as in Fig. l, and the central station and tire station telegraph equipment are supposed to be exactly the same. The figure shows a different alarm equipment for the substation however, which is more positive in its action. Only the substation equipment is shown in the figure. Here the branch wires 3-4 pass from the line first to a stand-' ard fire or police alarm number transmitter S, then to the vibrator The auxiliary circuit 5-43 contains the controlling magnets m--m for the vibrator, and is bridged by the thermostats or burglar circuit closers 7, and the key Ir. The number transmitter comprises a normally wound clock train havinga driving arbor a. carrying a controller or cam wheel a, and driving the number wheel a which is geared to malnseveral revolutions for one 'of the cam whccl s". The wheel 88 has a notch s in whi h normally takes the toe of a detcnt lcvcr a controlled by the magnet in". which is polarized and included in the wire onnection 3 of the main transmittingcircuit. The normal connection of battery to the line 1----2 at central is such that current flowing in the line when the circuit is closed at the substation to call ccn tral, is of the wrong direction to affect magnet in operatively. The upper end of lever s 'takes the end of or a projection on a shutter a", which it normally holds up. closing the circuit of the auxiliary battery L l l l l through contact 8 The wire t passes to a contact .9 normally touching the locking lever s whose toe when the apparatus is set rests as shown on the smooth periphery of the cam wheel a". This lever is connected to contact s", which with its twin contact N" forms the pair controlled by the number wheel in transmitting, normally closed when set. The wire 3 passes to the magnet m and thence with wire 4 to the terminal springs 3 controlled by the vibrator S, and normally open. The vibrator consists of a swinging lever a, which may be roughly tuned like a recd by means of the weight a. This lever is pivoted and is normally held up to open all its contacts by a dctcnt s, controlled by the magnet m, a manual pull hook being also connected to this deteut, as before. When the detent is drawn back it makes contact so as to connect wires 24 and 25, thereby locking the relay in and itself, and providing a closed return path from battery I) through wire 26 to the vibrator magnet in.

The operation of this modified system will now be understood. ith the telephone line and central ofiice equipment shown in Fig.

], assiuned to be in normal condition, and

the substation equipment of Fig. 2, all the parts of which are in normal position as shown, the box S being wound, assume that one of the circuit closers 7 or it in the proltt'lttl structure acts to cross together the wires 5(i. Current from battery I) will immediately energize magnet m, which will pull back detent a, releasing the lever s so that the latter will drop and close the contacts s and s lllagnet m then takes current and again draws up the'lever, breaking at a and dropping it again, and so on in periodic movements whose rate is determined by the adjustment of the weight 8 When the lever s first drops it closes the line cir' cuit to central at the contacts 8 and thereafter as it vibrates it makes and breaks this circuit and flashes the line lamp Z. The operator perceiving this signal inserts the special plug 1 by preference, putting battcry on to the cutofl' relay L, which pulls up and connects the line wires 1-2 to the jack spring and sleeve, the connections being such (the line relay being normally to tip side) that battery current is then reversed on the line, and magnet m at the substation pulls up, swinging the lever 8" (the upper end of which is rounded to form a cam surface arranged to engage behind the enlarged end of the shutters) to pull its toe out of the notch s, and at the same time dropping the shutter s, which may then appear before a window to show the subscriber that his call has been attended to. This shutter may bear any desired inscription. The box apparatus S being now released, the wheels s and s commence to rotate, the springs .9

remaining closed by reason of the contacts s s being separated and the circuit of battery b thereby broken. As the number wheel 8 revolves it transmits the proper impulses to the fire station U to indicate the location of the building in trouble (or to the police headquarters if the system is used for police purposes). The number of rounds that goes in as determined by the gearing of the wheels 8 and s is intended to be the same as those of any ordinary fire or police box. In addition, I may provide for tests by inspectors in the usual fashion by sending only one round. \Vhen the proper number of rounds has gone in, the notch 5 reaches the toe of lever a, which drops into the notch. breaks the circuit 3--l, and holds the box from further running. It will be observed that in this condition the auxiliary circuits are both open, the battery I) is not in danger of running down, even if a thermostat is closed and the main telephone line is left clear for ordinary use. \Vhen the firemen or police come in response to the call, the lovers .9 and .5 are lifted, and the apparatus is thereby restored to normal condition, the shutter a being also replaced at the same time. Means for re-setting these devices are so well known in the art that. I have not thought it necessary to do more than indicate them.

if it desired to have the apparatus automatically re set itself, it is only necessary to provide suitable cams C and C etc., on the arbor s, which after a complete rotation of the wheel a will lift the lever a and the shutter s. 'lhtsc cams are shown in Fig. 2 in duplicate, that is they are shown on the arbor and also in connection with the pieces otapparatus which they control. This for convenience only, so the diagram can be read more easily. They can also lift the lever a it' it be uscd,.but in automatic restoring it is superfluous, and in fact its use as a contact is not bbligatory in any case, because if it stops the wheels at little short of their normal position this can be determined so as to bring the pen a betwcen two teeth of wheel 3, leaving the circuit open between a and x I have stated that in case the telephone be taken down before the wheels have finished sending the number, this would be interfered'with. llnay prevent this positively as shown in Fig. 2 by providing a cam disk C" controlling springs in the teleph ne circuit, so as to keep them separated while the number is being sent. The notch in the disk is made long enough to permit closure during the interval between the stop by lever s" and the normal stop by a. \Vhcre ervice of this kind is to be given generally. the operating company should maintain one or more special opcl'zr tors, and tlnsc would soon become so expert. as in fact. tire and police operators are now. that as the first round of the signal would i come in they would instantly deduce the,v following necessary information for quick relief: the nature of the relief desired; (2) the location of the calling subscriber; (3) the location of the nearest engine house, precinct police station, or emergeney'doctor. To complete the connection to the necessary point would be but the work of an instant; and those familiar with the results attained by subscribers telephone operators after some experience, will understand that this service would be at once more reliable and quicker than ordinary selection and connection by the subscribers directions over the telephone.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a combined telephone and fire-alarm system, a plurality of subscribers stations and a central station, a telephone set at each sub-station and means for interconnecting the lines at the central office, a fire-alarm station, telegraphic receiving apparatus there at, a line-circuit extending therefrom to the central office and there provided with a lineterlninal similar to those of subscribers lines, means at a subscribefls station to send a telegraphic signal over the line-circuit to central, and special means contr lled by an operator to connect the alarm station line with said subscribers station line. whereby the subscriber may transmit a telegraphic signal direct to the alarm station.

Q. In a combined telephone and signaling svstem, a plurality of subscribers" stations, a central station. line-circuits extending from the sub-stations to the central station and having connection terminals thcrcat, means to transmit signals over a subscribens line. a signal receiving station having a line-cir- (.lllbCXlelltlillQ' to the central station with a connection terminal thercat, opcrators connective circuits for interconnecting the various line-terminals. and special terminal means for the line from the signal receiving station, apart fr m the rcgular onnection terminals, adapted to connect said line di root with the terminals ot the subscribers lilies.

3. ln :1 combined signal and telephone system, a plurality ol sub cribers lines ha viiig' sulcstation telephone sets and signal de vices. a central otticc switchboard and terminals for the lines thereon, cot'iperatlng operators terminals for llilcl'ttllllltt't lllg the sauna a common alarm receiving station and line also provided with a switchboard terminal similar to the liue-tcrlnimils, whereby it may be connected to other lines in the ordr narv manner, and a special terminal dev ce tonsaid alariu receiving line controlled by an operator and adapted to cooperate ll rcctly with the subscribers line lcrnnuals.

4. in a combined telephone and signal ng system, :1 central telephone exchange nml signal receiving l'iein'lqnzn'tors, a plurality of lESCXlJQX'S stations and line vircuits we ".din f tli'erefroin to the telephone (EFF wining with terminal jacks thuwfor, opiixnlors cord eircuits and p11 for inter '(n'inecting said jacks, a line mrvni: vxtnndg from signal hemhunrlers to the iv nnone ex' lzhange imd ad with a jack and a s ,ocinl ping terminal for igiitid signal iine adapted to connwt fin: r-lilli direct tonny calling subscribers izu'k.

5, In an electrical signaling gxxtiunn :2 substation comprising the followin ilbllii menialities: a signal train in ,l in ii l-itlhl blOfiii devices governed llivi'oliy to Send :1 (:0 '"esignal, a (latent for said 1min ninnmliy l'wu'aining the sumo. uii'cnit zwiniwliom mu ling iilPIPtO and having an (*xlvnxiozz or bi'nnuln Willi initial 01 primary om'n'm. 3 means for Said branch normally inniinninii) some open, additional n (ii/01* "ion: wiilioui il'ii Siliii 'n' mi iv,

ion the code signsl train. n ("antral station nl zltlfli'lglll to in ulflflfl fii in "will train on the sins (:i' said liltillif'l! and n a iwiliarj sl'zition -1ll$ll ni'mng' d lo we Qnomlml by said signal nmin cl l in lln; lei is released.

6. In an eloclr'ical ignaling syslmn. :1 signaling train and a code signal wheel driven il'ier'eloy, a inc-king device for said i n and an Olki? nmgnel. conlroiling Ill: iimnie operable iironi without the all lution.

oimiiii oonnecliiom extending in 1111i: nigmil Win 0] and to said controlling magnet gainer with an initial or priinnvy min A ling device havii'igalocaloil-Quit with 2! 1m nhlc circuit closer adapted when mrl intui'l 1": rlose the main signal circnit.

llm

'vuitn uonimating said Sllli-FiziilOn and said ill. :ilni'in Fifiiiflll with said Hi'nlml 2:- vlinng'w. rind nil-an; 11i said $lll i1lllhli l'm, gnnl'e to iii" main exi-lnmg' 21nd inldsiimmi mean; joinlly conii'olled by the iii'aknmnvd moans and in llH operator foi- Svndii'ip; i llill To lilo live 2 arm sl'nlion.

a in m ewulini 1 wingilioniwl, n lire :iluiln slation provided Wil i Sip; ml ivcviving: devices, a (:Pnlrnl ms Plnlnpv Aiming nn opmnl'ofs coi'd uii'izuil, lino i': :1ii Psalm-(ling said r 1il s-ilnli0n and aid fili'P H flilil sniti n Will] mid cvnu'al 07(- -:-n:m ;v, and mining iii said blll).ii;1\l( ll for sanding; signals lovtlio main exchange and Olin-i: inmn at mid @nlislnlion actuated from line wnlrnl i-xirl'nmge for sending signals to ilw iii-v filziiili slzilion.

2;; in an nieclrii'al signaling e'ivsioin, :i ulwlnlion providml will: :1 signal train. :1 m-nli'nl mili n Mgmii an auxiliary stzu'ion signal. nix-ans Hi said substation for ii i fiiinn" snid ('OHiIEll station signal, additional inonns :ii said r uliHlnlion 'joinliy C(Hlll'UllQll by tin iimi-nnnwd means and lie (fPliiFtil Plniion opmnlor for Hi'illiiillg said :iuxi .2m sini'iim F mi.

in ii inony wlwrooi' l limo niiixml my ni gnqlm'v in prvscnw oi two \xliln' if-l l-TlHVAiiI) n. CLXQMNNT, 

